Pittsburgh Penguins’ Jarry joins list of all-time goal scoring goaltenders

On Thursday, November 30, 2023, Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry saw an opportunity down the ice and he went for it.

The risky opportunity paid off as he became the first goaltender in Penguins history to score a goal. His first career goal finished off a brilliant performance in a 4-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

While other goaltenders thought about it and tried, the chance of a lifetime did not go their way. For others, it was the second-best thing for a goaltender aside from winning the Stanley Cup to personally achieve.

To win a Stanley Cup, a netminder needs his teammates. The teammates also need him to play outstanding in the most critical time of the year. By scoring a goal for a goaltender, the spotlight is on the goaltender and him only.

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry had a goalie goal earlier this season

This is his moment to shine. A moment Pittsburgh Penguins Jarry will never forget and will cherish as long as he lives.

While Jarry’s goal was a tremendous achievement, there have been goaltenders across many leagues who have accomplished the same rare feat. The opportunities for them to score are few and far between but when he is given a chance he must always go for the open net.

14 NHL goaltenders have scored at least one goal in their careers at one time. New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur scored three in his career.

12 college goaltenders (11 men and 1 woman), 15 in the ECHL, 14 American Hockey League (AHL) goaltenders, five in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), seven in the Western Hockey League (WHL), and 11 in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) have lit the lamp while between the pipes for their respective teams.

New York Islanders goaltender Billy Smith was the first one to be credited with scoring a goal and did so on November 28, 1979, against the Colorado Rockies.

He was given credit for the goal because he was last to touch it before a Colorado player put it in his net. While he was the first, a few others have done it since the NHL was founded. Below is the goaltender, the team he played for, the date it occurred, and the opponent.

• Billy Smith           New York Islanders             November 28, 1979                Colorado Rockies
• Ron Hextall         Philadelphia Flyers               December 8, 1987                   Boston Bruins
• Ron Hextall         Philadelphia Flyers                April 11, 1989                       Washington Capitals
• Chris Osgood       Detroit Red Wings                March 6, 1996                         Hartford Whalers
• Martin Brodeur    New Jersey Devils                April 17, 1997                        Montreal Canadians
• Damian Rhodes    Ottawa Senators                 January 2, 1999                      New Jersey Devils
• Martin Brodeur    New Jersey Devils                February 15, 2000                 Philadelphia Flyers
• Jose Theodore     Montreal Canadians              January 2, 2001                    New York Islanders
• Evgeni Nabokov     San Jose Sharks                   March 10, 2002                   Vancouver Canucks
• MIka Noronen         Buffalo Sabres                  February 14, 2004                 Toronto Maple Leafs
• Chris Mason         Nashville Predators               April 15, 2006                       Phoenix Coyotes
• Cam Ward              Carolina Hurricanes             December 26, 2011             New Jersey Devils
• Martin Brodeur     New Jersey Devils                March 21, 2013                    Carolina Hurricanes
• Mike Smith            Phoenix Coyotes                   October 19, 2013                 Detroit Red Wings
• Pekka Rinne       Nashville Predators                 January 9, 2020                   Chicago Blackhawks
• Linus Ullmark        Boston Bruins                       February 25, 2023               Vancouver Canucks
• Tristan Jarry           Pittsburgh Penguins            November 28, 2023            Tampa Bay Lightning

This is a rare opportunity for the goaltender to have the spotlight on them and something any goalie would love to accomplish.

This is a personal goal and cannot be taken away from the player who does this in his, or her, career.  Although this happened 14 times in the NHL, it is still a rare occurrence. While this takes time, patience, and opportunity, this also takes a special skill to pull off.

The goaltender needs space, enough lift on the puck, and the right aim to get this done. Stick taps to those who have done this, regardless of the level, and to those who will attempt this during their careers.